Becky Hammon Assesses Aces Biggest 'Problem' in Playoff Loss to Fever

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon got brutally honest about her team's lackluster postseason performance on Sunday.

Aug 25, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon reacts during the second half of a WNBA game against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The insane 16-game winning streak that the Las Vegas Aces brought into the 2025 WNBA postseason (which earned them the No. 2 seed behind the Minnesota Lynx) now seems like a long way away.

After just barely managing to beat the No. 7-seeded Seattle Storm in a three-game first round series, the Aces were dominated at home by the Indiana Fever on September 21 by a score of 89-73, thus falling behind 1-0 in the series.

The Fever outscored the Aces in all four quarters on Sunday, and the game never really seemed in doubt. Superstar A'ja Wilson (who was named the 2025 WNBA MVP on Sunday morning) struggled to get anything going, as she only scored 16 points on 6 of 22 shooting from the field. And Fever star guard Kelsey Mitchell was unstoppable, as she added 34 points.

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) points to her teammates Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, during Game 2 of a WNBA playoff matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream, 77-60. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Becky Hammon Speaks on Aces Playoff Loss to Fever

Legendary Aces head coach Becky Hammon spoke with the media after her team's defeat on Sunday and assessed what went wrong for her squad.

"They played with a greater sense of urgency. We couldn't catch up to their pace," Hammon said, per a YouTube video from the WNBA. She later added, "We had 12 assists tonight, in 40 minutes. 12. And 12 turnovers.

"But you can start on the defensive end. I mean, clearly, we had no answer for Mitchell. Couldn't even attempt to slow her down a little bit. I thought it was really poor," she added. "We at least missed nine, maybe 10 [layups]. I know we had six or seven [misses] at halftime, and the trend kind of continued in the second half. So, I mean, that's potentially 20 points on the board.

"Our problem was on the defensive end, and then not moving the ball at all on the offensive end," Hammon continued. "It was — we'll have a talk about it."

It seemed like Hammon wanted to tear into her team a little more at the end there, but instead decided to keep her strong criticism behind closed doors.

While this was not how Las Vegas envisioned this WNBA Semifinals series starting, the good news is that they can get even against the Fever on Tuesday. And it's hard to imagine that Wilson will have another mediocre game, which should make Hammon and her staff more confident about that game to come.

Then again, the Fever have all the momentum right now.